Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-10-02
was impossible


IL tell yOu," repeated John Beer, 81
seen him. II was the evening before and
at 8 O'clock
Nine O'Clock, Then he must have gone
straight away to give the information after
telling me that whatever happened | was
II blame.
THE window was open. The captain
was reading by the light OF pair of can
dies. | heard steps at the back of the
house cTouching the gryel. Then | heard
knock at the captains door. ] looked
in at the window, being so placed in the
dark that could DO that without being
seen. Aud ! SAW Joshua Mech himself
open the door and walk in. Then | knew
that there was mischief brewing"
"PleaSance" ne went on, after pause,
during which he gasped with Indignation;
II knew that there was villainy. And
wish I'd have put my Carb;ueat that open
window and let him have the charge in his
face, the scOundrel!
Pollard he says, looking more like n
deI than human man, let alone Dan
Gulliver's nephew, I've come to lay intor-
nation.
"'Whyn cries the captain. 'InfOrma-
ton from you, Joshua Mech? Dick Tur-
pin will he laying iniormatin next. Or
perhaps Dan CULVER
"'I've come to lay information, sir,
against Dan CULVER
"'YOu? Against Dan Gulliver? What
is the meaning of this? Why, man, you
are his partner! You are his nephew
"'Ive come to lay information against
Dan CULVER repeated Joshua, with q
white face. was listening all the while,
you may be sure.
"'What does it mean? Have you quar-
reled2'
"'That does not matter to YOU he re-
piled, dOggedly. Pm come with that in-
formation. Will You take it or will You
refuse it? If you do l must go to the
mayor and lay it before him.
" Joshua Mech, said the captain, You
are n villain! You are black, foul villain
Whether this is treachery or revenge You
are double distilled scoundrew
Joshua Mech made no reply.
81 must take your information, the
captain went on. 1t is my duty TO take
it and act upon it. Most iniOrmcrs are
poor starving devils whose necessities make
them enact the part of the spy You have
not that excuse You are bringing ruin
upon your old uncle, the man by whom
you have been befIiended and enriched.
70 is revenge, | suppose, for some petty
quarrel. But such devilish revenge !
never heard of before. Go on with your
tale, Backyard and villain
"Ah, Pleasance, you all thought at the
trial that the captain gloried in what he
had done. Don't you believe that no
more. Oaly he had to do it, you know
it was his duty.
Then Joshua Mech told how the run
over WAS to be that very night, how the
Dancing Polly was already gone, and how
she would return the next night.
The captain took il all down.
/" is that ALP be asked.
"'That is all, said Joshua
Then go. Do not breathe the air OF
! this room with me- Great heayens1i he
cried, starting to his feet, that such vii
liam should live in this kingdom of Eng
land and call himself my fellow country
man. Coz
There PleaSance, now you know all, ~
Yes; this was his revenge This was
his plan to prevent me from marrying
Will. To make this impossible, or to
defer it, he bad the incredible baseness to
sacrifice his uncle and Cousins. Was il
possible, could anyone believe that man
could be so wicked?
sat all that day meditating revenge,
thinking in what way ] could iniure this
man. One wild plan after another sug,
gested itself 10 ME. would set fire to
his mill. | would secretly destroy the
trees in his orchard. would put stone
in the wheelof his mill. ! would 60 into
the town and tell everybody.
Nothing, however, satisfied me. Re-
venge never does satisfy. II his mill was
burned, he would build it up again; but
that would not give ME back Dan, and
the boys, and WI l and the Dancing Polly.
He could repair any mischief could do
him. Even if / whispered it round in
Lyme Regis that he was the informer, he
would deny it, and l had no proof because
John Beer was bound to silence. What
then could | do?
In the evening, still brooding over the
revenge l was to take, l grew restless and
walked over the fields to the Mill itself.
1t was bright night; the valleys which
stretch away behind Lyme lay all bathed
in beautiful moonlight; everything was
peaceful and quiet, except the heart of the
girl who went along the lonely way. She
met no one, she saw nothing; her soul was
full Of an extinguishable craving for VEN
geance; she was like tigress bereft of her
cubs.
The mill stood alone in its field, silent,
and backed by the black depths of its
shadows and the woods. The top of the
big wheel could be made out standing
clear against the sky. Beneath it poured
the waters of the Lent, which in the day.
time worked the wheel.
stole like a shadow through the or
ehard; on the other side, away from the